French Onion Pork Chops (Whole 30)

Let me introduce you to my pandemic baby, Pepper. He is a parakeet and, although I don’t know his exact age, I can tell he is very young. You can tell because the wavy bars on his head go all the way down to his nares, aka nostrils. Babies have those bars on their head as a form of camouflage. They loose that as they get older.

Pepper has adapted to living with the flock very well but he is still absolutely terrified of me. I have never had a bird adapt so quickly to the other birds in the flock yet be terrified of me. Usually, I am considered a part of the flock by the time the new guy moves in with the other birds and they are okay with me be cause the other birds are okay with me. Honestly, I am at a loss how to make friends with him.

However,  I will keep trying.  I am sure we will reach our happy place together eventually.

French Onion Pork Chop Skillet

Adapted From Cook At Home Mom

8 oz pork chop

1 1/2 TBS olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 medium white onion, sliced

3/4 tsp Balsamic vinegar

6 TBS chicken stock

2 TBS coconut cream

Pork Chop Seasoning

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/8 tsp oregano

1/8 tsp thyme

In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the pork chop seasoning Pat both sides of the pork dry. Season both sides of the pork chop well.

In a frying pan, over medium- high heat,  add the oil.  When hot, add the pork chops.  Don’t move them in the pan.  Allow them to sear for three minutes per side,  turning them once.  Set them aside on a plate.

In the same pan,  add the onions and reduce the heat to low.  Cook the onions for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened completely and starting to brown.

Whisk the coconut cream and broth into the onions and return the seared chops to the pan.  Bring to a simmer and cook everything together for  5-6 minutes or until cooked through.  The exact time will depend on how thick the chops are.  Serve the chops with some of the onions and sauce. 

Sheet Pan Pork Chop Dinner — Nom Nom Paleo — A Review (Whole 30)

One of the hardest parts of doing my 1st Whole 30 was not having access to my big white binder of recipes for one or two or my regular cookbooks and recipe blogs for inspiration.  Towards the end of my Whole 30 I started to run out of new compliant recipes to try and food boredom started setting in.  Food boredom is deadly for someone who likes to cook and eat as much as I do.  When I decided to do a second round of Whole 30, I decided to have a list of Whole 30/Paleo blogs to explore in front of my little black binder of Whole 30 recipes binder.

One of the first Whole 30/Paleo blogs that I found that I really liked was Michelle Tam and Henry Fong’s Nom Nom Paleo.   How do I love this blog?  Let me count the ways.

1.  60 days of Whole 30 compliant recipes all gathered in one place for you.  The recipes cover everything from spice blends, to sauces, to main meals of every kind.
2. The recipes are for food I want to eat.   I don’t have time or money for recipes that take all day  to cook and have a lot of expensive hard to find ingredients. Neither does Michelle. With the exception of her Insta-Pot and Sous Vide machine she doesn’t use fancy equipment.  Most of the ingredients for her recipes can be found in any grocery store.
3. Whole 30 Insta-Pot recipes.  You all know how I love my pressure cooker.  It was nice to know that with all the changes I made in my diet for my Whole 30, somethings could remain the same.
4. Michelle’s food just tastes good.
5. Michelle’s recipes are always reliable and turn out well, if you follow her instructions.
6. I love Michelle and Henry’s podcast.
7. I love Michelle and Henry’s sense of humor.

In the almost three months since I finished my Whole 30 I still have one or two Nom Nom Paleo recipes on my menu plan each week.  I have bought their cookbook, Nom Nom Paleo Food For Humans and pre ordered their new cookbook, Nom Nom Paleo Ready or Not, that comes out August 1 .  They will be in constant use in my house, whether or not I am on a Whole 30 or decide to go Paleo after my next Whole 30 in September.

One Pan Pork Chop Dinner

• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

adapted from Michelle Tam an Henry Fong’s One and Done Ebook

11/2 TBS olive oil

juice of half  a lemon

1 TBS chopped fresh sage

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp kosher salt

2 bone in pork chops, 1 inch thick about 1 pound total

1 fuji apple, cored and cut into 8 wedges

1/2 lb brussels sprouts, halved or quartered

1/4 large red onion, peeled and cut into 6 wedges through the poles

ground black pepper

Aged balsamic vinegar

Preheat te oven to 450 degrees.  In a bowl, combine 1 1/2  teaspoons olive oil, lemon juice, sage, garlic and 3/4 tsp salt,  mix well.  Cover the pork chops with this mixture.  On a rimmed baking sheet, place the pork chops on the pan.  Toss the apple wedges, brusslls sprouts, and onion with the remaining 1 1/2  teaspoon olive oil and 1/4 tsp salt.  Spread the vegetables in a single layer around the pork chops.  Roast for 12 minutes or until the internal temperature of the pork registers 140 degrees.  Turn the heat to broil and cook an additional  3-5 minutes or until the pork and veggies are browned.  Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve.

Marinated Pork Chops

Holy moley!!!!!   What was I thinking?!!!  I totally forgot I threw out my regular chili sauce when I did a condiment purge a few months ago but I was totally set on trying this pork chop recipe for dinner tonight.  So instead of 2 tablespoons of regular chili  sauce I used 2 tablespoons of Sriracha sauce. I repeat, WHAT WAS I THINKING?! I know that many of you don’t think 2 tablespoons of Sriracha  sounds like much.  You have got to remember one thing about me,  I am a total wimp when it comes to hot spices.  I use Sriracha a quarter teaspoon at a time.  Again, what was I thinking?  Fortunately, the honey and  baking mellowed the heat considerably.  The resulting heat level was at the upper level of my tolerance.  The next time I make this recipe I will make sure I have regular chili sauce.

• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 TBS chili sauce

2 TBS honey

2 TBS canola oil

2 TBS finely chopped green onion

1/2 tsp curry powder

3/4 lbs  boneless pork chops

In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, chili sauce, honey, canola oil, and curry powder. Mix well.  Lay pork chops in a pan with high sides and pour the marinade over with the top.  Turn the chops a couple of times to coat the chops with marinade.  Cover the pan with plastic wrap and marinate for 4-6 hours or overnight.  When you are ready to cook the chops, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Bake your chops for 30 -35 minutes.